New Zealand‘s left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel broke a long-standing record of England all-rounder, Ian Botham as he bagged 14 wickets for 225 runs against India at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday (December 5).
Ajaz Patel recorded history by becoming only the third bowler – after former England off-spinner Jim Laker and former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble – to pick all 10 wickets in an innings in Test cricket when he single-handedly bowled India out during the first innings.
He completed the game with bowling figures of 14 for 225, overtaking Ian Botham for the best bowling figures in a Test match against India. Ian Botham registered 13 for 106 match figures in Mumbai in the 1979-80 series.
England’s Jim Laker was the first bowler to take all 10 wickets in an innings of a Test match. The off-break bowler achieve this feat by taking 10 wickets for 53 runs in 51.2 overs against Australia at Manchester in July 1956.
lndia's Anil Kumble was the last bowler before Ajaz Patel to take all 10 wickets in an innings of a Test match. The leg spinner achieved the feat during a Test in Delhi against Pakistan in February 1999. He took all 10 wickets for 74 runs in 26.3 overs.
** Ajaz Patel’s match figures are the second-best bowling in a Test match for New Zealand. Richard Hadlee, who took 15 wickets for 123 runs against Australia at Brisbane in 1985-86, holds the record of best bowling performance for New Zealand in a Test match.
** Two bowlers, other than Ajaz Patel, with 14 or more wickets in a Test match in the last 20 years are: Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) against Pakistan in 2014 and Yasir Shah (Pakistan) against New Zealand in 2018 with identical match figures of 14 for 184. Ajaz Patel is also one of only seven left-arm bowlers to bag 14 or more wickets in a Test match.
** Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra shared 17 wickets in this Test match, the joint-most for a team's left-arm spinners. England's Hedley Verity (11) and James Langridge (6) also shared 17 wickets against India at Chennai in the 1933-34 series.
** The 540-run target for New Zealand in this Test is the third-highest set by India in this format. The biggest target they've set up is 617 against New Zealand in 2009, They also set 550 against Sri Lanka in 2017.
** New Zealand pacers were unable to take a wicket in this match. It is the fifth instance of them going wicketless in a Test match. However, the Mumbai Test is only the second instance of their pace bowlers going wicketless in both innings of a match. The other such occasion was against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2004.
BEST BOWLING AGAINST INDIA IN A TEST MATCH
(Figures - Bowler - Venue - Season)
14/225 - Ajaz Patel (New Zealand) - Mumbai - 2021-22;
13/106 - Ian Botham (England) - Mumbai - 1979-80;
12/70 - Steve O'Keefe (Australia) - Pune - 2016-17;
12/94 - Fazal Mehmood (Pakistan) - Lucknow - 1952-53;
12/124 - Andy Roberts (West Indies) - Chennai - 1974-75.
BEST BOWLING FOR NEW ZEALAND IN A TEST MATCH
(Figures - Bowler - Opponent - Venue - Season)
15/123 - Richard Hadlee - Australia - Brisbane - 1985-86;
14/225 - Ajaz Patel - India - Mumbai - 2021-22;
12/149 - Daniel Vettori - Australia - Auckland - 1999-00;
12/170 - Daniel Vettori - Bangladesh - Chattogram - 2004-05;
11/58 - Richard Hadlee - India - Wellington - 1975-76.
